11/03/2006

“They tied up and beat our husbands and our sons. We were forced to hand over all of our money to get our men released,” Mrs. Yameogo* told Refugees International. “Then we fled to the bush with only the clothes on our backs.”

Mrs. Yameogo, a beautiful woman dressed in a long flowered robe and wearing a velvet maroon head wrap, is one of the many people --- estimates range from 500,000 to two million --- displaced by the ongoing tensions in Cote d’Ivoire. This is her story.

“The war started in Abidjan and gradually moved west. Ivorian youth would go house to house and tell the people they would have to leave,” Mrs. Yameogo recalled. “You can’t stay here,” they would say. “And we know you have money on the plantations.” According to Mrs. Yameogo, local youth brought Liberians to come and fight in her community in late January 2003.

On February 2, Mrs. Yameogo and her family of 16 fled their village, first taking shelter in the nearby bush. “It took five days to travel the nearly 40 kilometers to Guiglo prefecture.” From there the family went on to one of the two camps for internally displaced persons in the area, where more than 90 percent of the residents are Burkinabe. Conditions in the camp are hard, and there is no relief in sight.

With the family now numbering 17 after the birth of another child, Mrs. Yameogo explained how difficult it has been to care for her family since they were displaced. Feeding everyone is one of the biggest challenges, though they do get assistance from the World Food Program. “I don’t have enough to feed and clothe my children. My husband is too old to work. I tried to get some jobs washing dishes or clothes, and sometimes cleaning. When I sent my children to work, they were not paid,” she said. “I don’t want to tell more details or I will cry.”

Some of the displaced families are eager to return to their villages. Those who tried were stopped by the youth and came back to the camp. Mrs. Yameogo says her family cannot go back because of the security problem. For now, she says, we need to help our children. “They are the future here.”

* Name has been changed